Neighbors in the Chestnut Hill area of Lancaster called a meeting Wednesday night with Mayor Rick Gray and the chief of police to express concerns about their safety.Video: Watch Justin Betti's reportMore than one of the neighbors at Wedneday’s meeting said they simply don't feel safe on the streets of Lancaster at night, even in their own neighborhood, the Chestnut Hill neighborhood on the west side of town.Members of the community met with city officials to find out what they can do and the city can do to make them feel safer.After a series of assaults and robberies on the streets of Lancaster in the last few months, the neighbors decided they'd had enough. “We need to do something, but we don't know what,” resident Bill Taylor said. “So we called the mayor, and we called the police and we said: 'Hey, we need to feel better. We need to know what's going on here.'”Citizens at the meeting were concerned that they weren't seeing enough police on the streets and didn't know if there was a plan to combat the violence. Gray and police Chief Keith Sadler told them there are things being done, even if the residents can't always see them.“I think the chief of police said all the right things,” Taylor said. “He assured us that he had our best interests at heart, even if they're not the most obvious things in the world. When you see a policeman, you feel better. When you don't, you don't know they're still there.”Officials also stressed things neighbors can do like reporting suspicious activity and keeping their porch lights on at night.“I think it was a very productive meeting,” Gray said. “We were here to hear the community's concerns and tell them what we're doing, and we got some ideas and gave some ideas as to how to progress and how to make the city safer.”Gray also said he supports what he called boulevard lights instead of street lights which are designed to light the sidewalk instead of the road. He said they are expensive, and it'll take some time before they're added everywhere.

LANCASTER CITY, Pa. —

Neighbors in the Chestnut Hill area of Lancaster called a meeting Wednesday night with Mayor Rick Gray and the chief of police to express concerns about their safety.

More than one of the neighbors at Wedneday’s meeting said they simply don't feel safe on the streets of Lancaster at night, even in their own neighborhood, the Chestnut Hill neighborhood on the west side of town.

Members of the community met with city officials to find out what they can do and the city can do to make them feel safer.

After a series of assaults and robberies on the streets of Lancaster in the last few months, the neighbors decided they'd had enough.

“We need to do something, but we don't know what,” resident Bill Taylor said. “So we called the mayor, and we called the police and we said: 'Hey, we need to feel better. We need to know what's going on here.'”

Citizens at the meeting were concerned that they weren't seeing enough police on the streets and didn't know if there was a plan to combat the violence. Gray and police Chief Keith Sadler told them there are things being done, even if the residents can't always see them.

“I think the chief of police said all the right things,” Taylor said. “He assured us that he had our best interests at heart, even if they're not the most obvious things in the world. When you see a policeman, you feel better. When you don't, you don't know they're still there.”

Officials also stressed things neighbors can do like reporting suspicious activity and keeping their porch lights on at night.

“I think it was a very productive meeting,” Gray said. “We were here to hear the community's concerns and tell them what we're doing, and we got some ideas and gave some ideas as to how to progress and how to make the city safer.”

Gray also said he supports what he called boulevard lights instead of street lights which are designed to light the sidewalk instead of the road. He said they are expensive, and it'll take some time before they're added everywhere.